A total of 138 golfers from more than 30 countries will partake in the second edition of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open which is all set to tee off at Kurmitola Golf Club today.
The organisers are aiming to promote the newcomers and popularising the game in the country as 25 emerging professionals like Zamal Hossain Mollah and Dulal Hossain and five amateur golfers from Bangladesh will get the opportunity to prove their worth by playing directly in the final round.
On the other hand, the likes of Bangladesh golf sensation Siddikur Rahman, Thai order of merit winner Thaworn Wiratchant, who holds a record total of 18 victories in the region’s premier Tour, and other top golfers from abroad will battle it out for a share of the $300,000 prize money.
There are a few changes in this year’s Bangladesh Open that organisers hope will make it a better edition than the previous one which took place in May last year.
Defending champion Mardan Mamat of Singapore is set to miss the tournament due to the sickness of his father. 16-year-old Thai Phachara Khongwatmai and his young compatriot Danthai Boonma, India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, Carlos Pigem of Spain, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka will be among the promising stars in the field hunting for a breakthrough Asian Tour victory.
During the official press conference of the event yesterday, reigning 2015 Asian Development Tour Order of Merit champion Casey O’Toole of the United States and Yikeun Chang of Korea talked to the media.
“This was where I played my first Asian Tour event. It’s great to be back. I really like this golf course. It seems to be in a better shape this year. I was surprised when I took the first-round lead last year. Although I didn’t finish off well, it was still a great experience for me. Hopefully I can cap another good result [today],” said the 25-year-old O’Toole.
Chang, who topped the class at the Asian Tour Qualifying School last month, also hopes to carry on his good form from last week. “I am putting well. Finishing top-10 last week gave me a lot of confidence coming here. I have been putting well for the last couple of weeks. If I can drive the ball well this week, I think I should have a good chance of contending,” said Chang.
“The people are really nice here. This golf course is a little different from the golf courses that I played in the last two weeks. It’s a lot shorter but it’s challenging because it’s tight off the tee. The driver will be the key to play well here,” added the 22-year-old Korean.
